


Finally Falling

by Splatx



Series: Evan, also known as "This is a Bad Idea(TM) [13]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Angst, Dom!Sadie, F/F, F/M, Multi, Period Typical Attitudes, Self-Hatred, Self-Loathing, Sub!Evan, Subdrop, Switch!Jake, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:41:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29381517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Splatx/pseuds/Splatx
Summary: Then he moves, though, and she freezes, pressing her forehead so hard against the ground that it hurts, and her mind is swimming and she struggles, she wants nothing more than to let go and fall and she feels like she’s drowning, and his voice as he says her name comes to her as though through cotton - he puts his hand on her shoulder and she cowers, tightening her kneel until her head is nearly between her knees, please, please let this be enough? She deserves to be punished - she is a bad Sub - but maybe if she kneels pretty he won’t be so mad?But she doesn’t know how to kneel pretty, surely her head isn’t pressed right, her back arched too high, her ass tucked too low——because she is a bad Sub.
Relationships: Jake Adler/Evan, Jake Adler/Online Protagonist, Jake Adler/Sadie Adler, Sadie Adler/Evan, Sadie Adler/Online Protagonist
Series: Evan, also known as "This is a Bad Idea(TM) [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876702
Kudos: 10





	1. Outlaws Don't Cry

She should have recognized the signs.

But it had been _so long_ since she’d gone down - and wasn’t that the problem? It was so unhealthy for a Sub to go long without being taken down, most went down twice a week, if not more, and it had been well gone half a year since Sisika and she’d been in there for a year and hadn’t Dropped for a month before that; it was a miracle she hadn’t gone insane, really. Subs went mad for much less or, at least, it was said.

Then again, a lot of things were said about Subs, many of them not so flattering.

But going almost two years without Dropping? She’d never heard of a Sub doing such a thing. Then again, she tried to pretend she _wasn’t_ a Sub, that she was, if not a Dom, then a Switch. Throwing her weight around like a Dom wasn’t too hard, though she preferred stealth and hiding to the brash and foolishness of a stereotypical Dom, and most thought her a Switch so she’d bought a Switch’s bracelet with a swirling grey and white gemstone and left it at that.

She’d have preferred to wear nothing at all - not a Submissive’s white Unclaimed collar or a Dominant’s Unclaimed silver ring, but she already drew enough attention with her handsome horses and scarred face and being a woman who wore pants, so it was easier to give in and wear a Switch’s Unclaimed bracelet than to be stared at or harassed by lawmen who liked to pretend it was the law that she wore _something_ and risk being recognized while they were doing so from those wanted posters that popped up faster than she could pull them down.

  
  


And, sometimes, she even fooled herself. Sometimes a pretty Sub would catch her eye and she’d allowed herself to think _‘I wonder what it would be like to take them down?’_ though no Sub could take another Sub down, and would do the hand to the chest to their Dom in deference, pointedly looking at the Sub’s colored Claimed collar, and if she looked at a Dom too long she _hated_ herself but it was natural for a Switch to want to be taken down, wasn’t it?

But she was Evan, and she was an outlaw, and an outlaw put their trust in no one but themselves. And being taken down? That took nothing _but_ trust. You were putting your heart, your soul, in the hands of the Dom or the Switch taking you down - though something might pull you out of it, it was so easy to have it taken advantage of, and so many Doms saw Subs as something to be used, to be punished and played with as they saw fit, and she was her own person no matter her designation, so she was Evan the Switch no matter what her biology said.

Even if, sometimes, she met a Dom on her travels who looked _strong_ and _handsome_ and maybe, sometimes, Flaco would talk in That Way and tell her to ‘stay warm’ or Bonnie would look at her in That Way or Josiah would do a magic trick and she’d feel all Subby, mind going hazy as her knees tried to give way, wanting nothing more than to kneel and rest her head against their legs but she never did, absolutely refused to, she was no _Submissive_ and she knelt for no one, deferred to no one, so she spent as little time with them as she could, took their missions and fled.

  
  


The Adlers, though, were the worst.

They were a Dom/Switch couple, and though she’d seen some Doms who loved their partners - and maybe some others loved their partners in the privacy of their homes - but Sadie _loved_ Jake, capital _L_ loved, and he wasn’t afraid of her, went behind her back even to pay her to save their friends (though she was sure Sadie knew), and Sadie served Jake and Jake served Sadie in turn, they’d made her stay, once, for supper and it had amazed her to watch as Sadie got up to grab him a drink when he’d forgotten one, and he had gotten up to pass her a roll, something she’d never seen a Dom do for a Sub, or even a Switch.

And _god,_ but she’d wanted. More than anything.

And that was dangerous, so she’d tried to stay away.

No matter how hard she tried, she failed. Always found herself up there (just going to Flaco’s, she’d swear, and then her horse would be going through the gate into the Adler’s yard) and taking a job from Sadie or Jake and riding back out again, and before she knew it she was spending more time in the Grizzlies than down in the Heartlands where she did most of her work.

And she should have _known._ From the way warmth rolled in her chest when their fingers touched as they paid her, from the way she felt ten feet tall when they thanked and praised her. How she always felt floaty when she walked out though she attributed it to the rapid temperature change from the heat in the cabin to the frigid cold outside.

  
  


And then, of course, she’d Dropped right in front of Jake.

  
  


She’d been feeling off all day. Should have, in retrospect, stayed in camp, curled up next to the campfire and ‘called in sick’, as the term would be later. But she’d never been one to let illness stop her, had taken bounties with full blown flus before, so though her mind was fuzzy and she shivered she attributed it to a not-warm-enough campfire and mounted up and headed to Flaco’s (the Adler’s) place.

Evan hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep, and had been _horrified_ when she’d woken to Merchant coming to a stop. She’d never been one to sleep in the saddle, had condemned those who did, it was so easy to fall off and be trampled and to be taken by surprise and shot or mauled or thrown and killed. She felt the fool for it, and was perhaps more rough than she should have been as she threw Merchant’s reins over the saddlehorn and, wrapping her jacket tighter around herself because she was _freezing,_ headed inside.

It was Sadie who greeted her, and it took all she had not to tilt towards her as though pulled, and sent her out to recover a wagon that kept getting stolen - and it wasn’t even a nice wagon, at that. But she was more than happy to, of course, though the usual warmth in her chest was absent, and headed back out.

  
  


It was Jake who greeted her when she got back, shivering violently and clutching her jacket to herself though the fireplace raged hot (it always did when she got back, even if it had been doused when she first arrived,) and fighting the urge to hold her stomach as it revolted against her, cramping sharply and flopping, praying that she wouldn’t be sick.

She had a reputation, and that reputation did not include vomiting on the floor of her employers.

Shame roiled in her stomach alongside the pain - she wanted nothing more than to straighten up and let her jacket hang naturally, but she was _so cold_ and she _hurt_ and her mind was _so fuzzy_ it was amazing that she was only barely hunched over instead of only the floor crying.

It was a blessing that Jake didn’t seem to notice, she thought. She had always been one hell of an actor; it had saved her more than once in her career as an outlaw, so maybe she wasn’t as hunched, shivering as much, as she thought.

She’d always thought she was telegraphing her movements, after all. Subs were known (or ‘known’, as she tended to put it) to be emotional, to wear their hearts on their sleeves - it was why they needed a Dom or, if they absolutely couldn’t find a Dom, a Switch to keep them grounded, and though she’d trained those big, grandiose gestures out of herself that underlying _fear_ was there.

A Dom could be larger than life and get away with it.

A Sub would be labeled ‘emotional’ and ‘untended’ and somehow there was always some sort of tell in the movements that gave away a Dom’s gestures from a Sub’s and she had never been able to figure them out so she’d mimicked Switch’s until she had them down pat as much as she could.

But that underlying _fear_ was always there. That a salute would swing too wide, that when she waved ‘before me’ she’d sway too much and everyone would know _Evan the Outlaw is a Sub!_

  
  


Jake looks at her and he smiles and… and she wants to ask him _‘did I do good?’_ and nearly does and practically chokes on it - she doesn’t talk much, it hurts her throat something fierce, and she absolutely refuses to be _so pathetic_ as to say such a thing, to waste that pain on those useless words. But god, she wants to hear that she is good, that she’s a _good girl_ and a _good Sub_ but she’s a _bad Sub_ no good Sub denies they’re a Sub and she hateshateshates even as she smiles and takes the money and no good Sub would take money that a Switch needs, and bile rises in her throat a _Dom_ needed this money and her head swirls she’s going to be _sick_ but she hadn’t eaten this morning there’s nothing to sick _up,_ and then their hands touch and her knees go weak and though she tries to gather them they give way and she _kneels_ like the worthless Sub she is, and the look on Jake’s face is… she doesn’t have a word for it, he looks _horrified_ and oh god, is he angry? Of course he is, why would he want _her_ kneeling for him? He has a Dom, a beautiful, strong, loving Dom, and her eyes burn as she presses her forehead against the ground, clutching her knees - if she’s going to be pathetic, then she’ll be pathetic all the way and kneel like a proper Sub should, not looking the Switch in the eye and definitely not allowing him to see the tears that she refuses to let fall.

She’s a Sub, and pathetic enough to kneel, giving into her instincts, but she’s still an _outlaw, dammit,_ and outlaws don’t cry.

But kneeling _hurts,_ she’s so stiff and so cold and her stomach still hurts, but he hasn’t released her yet, hasn’t said a word, and she’s _so scared_ at how he’s going to react, has she not knelt right? She could… usually kneeling is enough? Isn’t that right? But he’s _mad,_ surely, he’s in a relationship and here she is kneeling for him like she’s _something,_ some Subs lick their Doms feet and he’s a Switch not a Dom but maybe he’d like that?

Then he moves, though, and she freezes, pressing her forehead so hard against the ground that it _hurts,_ and her mind is swimming and she _struggles,_ she wants nothing more than to _let go_ and fall and she feels like she’s drowning, and his voice as he says her name comes to her as though through cotton - he puts his hand on her shoulder and she cowers, tightening her kneel until her head is nearly between her knees, please, please let this be enough? She deserves to be punished - she is a _bad Sub_ \- but maybe if she kneels pretty he won’t be so mad?

But she doesn’t know how to kneel pretty, surely her head isn’t pressed right, her back arched too high, her ass tucked too low—

—because she is a _bad Sub._


	2. Oh Sweetheart, Oh Darlin'

When Evan comes in looking all sorts of out of sorts, Jake is worried. He tries not to show it - she’s always seemed utterly repulsed by all kinds of concern - but is sure it’s obvious on his face.

When she doesn’t seem to notice, that makes him all-the-more concerned. She is _pale,_ dark circles around her eyes which are glassy, river-stones to their usual jades, and clutching her jacket to herself as though it’s the only thing holding her together and, from the way she shakes and hunches, if only slightly, just barely at that.

And she doesn’t smile at him like she usually does, that way that lights up her eyes, the one she gives him doesn’t even crease them, and he wants to ask her to ‘stay’ and ‘warm up’ but he knows better, it would send her scarpering for the door, so he takes his time getting the money out, gives her time to warm up because she looks _so cold_ , practically vibrating against her coat, and then their fingers touch and she _folds,_ going to her knees in a way that would have been beautiful if it isn’t so horrifying.

  
  


They’d both noticed her Bracelet. The one that marked her _Switch_ and _Unclaimed,_ it was only natural to look. They’d both looked for a Ring at first, expecting to find one that marked her _Dominant_ and, maybe, _Claimed_ although _Unclaimed_ wouldn’t surprise them. Switch had surprised them, a bit, but the way she goes down for him, so smoothly, instinctively spreading her legs to balance herself and, even now, folding tighter, grinding her forehead into the wood in a way that looks painful, can only ever be Sub.

But it is all _wrong._

Still she shivers, and shakes, and he can make out her fingers clenching and unclenching on her knees, digging into her denim pants in a way that looks painful, grabbing so forcefully her knuckles go white.

He wants, nothing more, than to run and get Sadie. She is out in the barn, not very far away - though he is a Switch and, hypothetically able to take a Sub Down, and bring them Up, he’s never done it before and, with how Evan is acting, he knows she is far beyond _Down._ Jake feels so very out of his element; but even he knows better than to leave a Sub that is Down, to do so is putting them at risk of going even further Down, to make them feel abandoned, like they are a _bad Sub_ and nothing is worse than making your Sub (which she isn’t, but she is Down and kneeling for him and that makes her, for the moment, his Sub) feel like a bad Sub.

So all he can do is pray that Sadie will hurry her ass inside as he moves to crouch in front of her only to freeze as she flinches, digging her forehead into the ground even harder, daring to, slowly, touch her shoulder, the Sub drawing in on herself in such a tight kneel it looks painful, would have been a ‘perfect’ kneel to some Doms but it tastes sour on his tongue.

  
  


“Shhh,” he finally manages, shushing her as he takes a knee, then shushing her again when she cowers, resting his other hand on her other shoulder, “Evan, hey, it’s me. It’s okay, you’re good, sweetheart.” and she shudders, makes a funny whimpering sound that goes straight to his heart. “It’s alright, look at me.” and she tucks in tighter on herself, though he is sure he sees something wet slide down her face and drip to the floor and his heart breaks, she shudders and he hums, “Look at me,” trying to pitch his voice down like a Dom’s but he is no Dom, he is a Switch and though he can dom he can never Dom.

But that’s enough, her head snaps up so fast he gets whiplash just watching, and he tries for that soothing croon that Sadie loves to aim at him and watch him stutter and blush but can’t quite manage when he sees the redness of her eyes, the way tears are barely held back, streaks barely-there on her face. “Hey, hey, sweetheart,” the term of endearment rolls off his tongue without any thought, “It’s okay, you’re okay,” he reaches up with his thumbs to wipe away the tears and she flinches, but he tries for a croon “No, no, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to clean your face, is that alright?”

The Sub hesitates, then inclines her head. But that isn’t enough, and so he says, “Can I clean your face? I need you to tell me,” and the words flow out of her like water from a river,

“Yes, ‘m sorry, ‘m s’rry,” and then tears are streaming down her face in earnest, trying to duck her head but he cradles her chin in one hand, the other working to wipe the tears from her face,

“No, no, sweetheart it’s okay, don’t cry. I’ve got you,” and he wishes Sadie would come inside because he is so lost, has no idea what to do, tries to remember what he likes when he goes Down for Sadie though he never goes as far Down as a Sub does and definitely never _this_ far Down.

“Here sweetheart, shh look at me,” and she looks him in the eyes though in a way that said she wants nothing more than to look _away,_ “Let me bring you Up, alright?” if he can, that is. He’s never brought anyone Up before, much less a _very_ Down outlaw.

She whimpers, then again begins to gasp, “‘m sorry, so sorry, sorry, sorry, ‘m sorry,” and he reaches out and pulls her close and, though she goes rigid at first she quickly goes limp, slumping against him and making a funny whining sound, tears wetting his jacket.

“Don’t apologize,” he tries for that Dom voice, fails miserably, “you don’t need to apologize. Can you walk?” and it doesn’t surprise him at all when she hunches her shoulders, tries to fold in on herself again though he doesn’t let her, “Alright, that’s fine. I’m going to pick you up, alright?” and she nods, just slightly, with another “S’rry,” then, after a moment, another one and he hums, stroking her back as he hooks an arm under her knees and carefully scoops her up, turning her over to cradle her like a bride, getting a glimpse of a flushed, shamed, tear-streaked face before she hides it in his chest, clutching his jacket as he stands, humming soothingly,

“I’ve got you, sweetheart, just hold onto me,” and careful not to jostle her he walks over to the bed, setting her down so she’s leaning against the wall - laying her down felt like he’s far overstepping. Granted, _any_ of this felt like a major overstep, it felt like they were just managing to make it into ‘friendship’ with the closed off outlaw (and they are of no mind that she is anything else) and he is terrified this would ruin all their hard work, but what can he do, leave her to Drop and spiral?

  
  


And here is where he got stuck.

They don’t have a Contract. He has _no idea_ how to bring her Up - every Sub (hell, every Switch and every Dom) is different. What can bring one Sub out of Subdrop or Subspace can put another _into_ it and, being a switch, he’s never had to take Dom or Sub classes. 

God, he hopes Sadie hurries up.

What makes him feel better after a scene?

Chocolate. Chocolate and warmth.

And even still, with his hands still, awkwardly, on her shoulders, she is shivering. Huddled down in her jacket and looking at the wall, lips moving on silent words that he is fairly certain are apologies, and he strokes his thumbs on her shoulders before addressing her, “I’m going to get a blanket, is that alright?”

and she looks up at him as though just noticing he’s there, before giving him the slightest nod and he takes what he can get, stepping away to grab a blanket from their pile (Sadie chills easily) and bringing it back, only to discover a new dilemma.

Her jacket is wet. It had gotten snow on it while she was outside and, now that they’re _inside_ where there’s a fire going (and he makes a mental note to throw some wood on) it’s melted, leaving the fabric soaked and, surely, uncomfortable. Irritating, he is sure, to a Dropped Sub’s sensitive skin.

He reaches for it, and hesitates. She’s slumped against the wall, head lolling against the wood and eyes closed, seemingly dead to the world though still shaking and shuddering and slumped, arms crossing loosely at her stomach. “Evan?” he asks, and she jolts, sitting upright and crossing her arms in her lap like a proper Sub, red-tinged eyes (though he’s glad to see she isn’t crying anymore) locking on him though still hazy and unfocused. “Your jacket is wet, is it okay if I take it off?”

She nods, “Yessir,” immediately, and it sets something wrong in his chest - he hasn’t realized until just then how much he wanted to hear her call him Sir, but the context is all wrong and it sounds wrenched from her throat, but he doesn’t want her getting sick or her skin getting roughed up, so he carefully manipulates her (she is like a puppet, moving only when directed) to pull off the long coat. He sets it aside to be put out on the line later, moves for the blanket only to pause when he spots a tear in her jacket, stained with brown.

“Are you hurt?” and guilt, that is definitely guilt, they always feel awful sending her out into the cold but it has become so commonplace that they tend to forget how dangerous the situations they send her out into actually are.

She looks at her arm, seems to notice it for the first time, and slurs, “S’rry sir.”

“Don’t apologize,” he frowns, and she bows her head, shivering all-the-harder, “I need to roll your sleeve up to look at this, is that okay?” and she nods her head, more a bobble than anything and he’d rather have _words_ but it’s the best he’ll get so he grabs her sleeve and rolls it up, tisking (“S’rry,” “Don’t apologize, sweetheart,”) when he sees the tear in her skin - just a graze, thankfully, so he tells her “I’m just going to step away for a second, okay?” and she bobbles again so he runs his finger through her hair; it’s long, dark and his fingers stick in knots and he wants to brush it, suddenly, have her sit between his legs as he spends hours carefully working them out but that’s a _want_ not a _need_ so he frees his hand and stands, retrieving the kit they use after a particularly harsh session and bringing it back to the bed.

“Look at this, sweetheart,” and she does, lolling her head to look into the box he opens in his lap, “Sadie and I use these after a scene, is it okay if I use these on you?” and she nods; he barely feels it through the thick of his jacket but it’s there so he sets the box aside, “If I do anything you don’t like, tell me, alright? Say ‘red’, can you do that?” and she nods again but that’s not enough, “I want to hear it.”

“I…” her eyes are hazy, and she stares at him as though she’s lost, as though she’s looking at a stranger, “if… if I don’t like what you’re doing, say red.” and her eyes dart across his face as though looking for something, and even if they weren’t he can’t help the way his face softens and lights up, or the way he croons,

“Such a good girl for me, such a good Sub,” and the look of shock on her face hurts, and then she tries to pull away and duck her head but he catches her arm and manipulates it to get the best view he can of the wound, humming, “Lookit this, got it helping us. Such a good Sub for Sadie and me, taking care of us.” She shivers, looking at him as though he, personally, had set the sun and the moon in the sky, “and we’ll take care of you, fix this up for you,” and he does, swiping out a crooked-finger-full of the salve they use in particularly rough scenes and swiping it over the wound. She doesn’t flinch, watching his face and the way it twists in concentration as he rubs it in until it’s gone, before grabbing a bandage and wrapping it around her arm until he’s satisfied and tying it off, snipping the end with the tiny scissors they keep for just that purpose and setting the box aside.

There’s chocolate in there, and he eyes it - maybe?

He wants to strip her down, get her comfortable and out of that shirt, but worries - maybe she’d be more comfortable if Sadie were to do it? Then again, Sadie was a woman but she is also a _Dom_ and while Evan is a woman, too, she is clearly a _Sub_ and maybe not? And he chews on that before looking to the door and praying Sadie _hurries up,_ he worries there might be other wounds and besides, the shirt is a little damp, but he’s already crossing so many lines that he doesn’t want to cross any more.

He digs through the box and pulls out a Miracle Tonic, shakes it and finds only a few gulps left but only a single draw is needed. Jake knows he always feels better when he has a sip after a scene, so he holds it to her lips and she drinks without prompting, he’s relieved to see some of the haze leave her eyes, and she leans some more of her weight on him with a sigh.

  
  


“Aw hell, she’s in a bad way, isn’t she?”

And it says to just how much of a ‘bad way’ she’s in that Evan doesn’t jump or even flinch or react, though Jake does, startling and looking at Sadie who closes the door behind her after stamping her feet to knock the snow from her boots. He nods, running his fingers through her hair again, and Sadie comes over to sit on Evan’s other side, taking her gently by the chin to make her look at the Dom, frowning at what she sees.

“Hey darlin’,” Sadie hums, running a thumb along her cheekbone and frowning when she finds a scratch there, “ain’t you just the prettiest little Sub?” and Evan frowns, tries to pull back but Sadie doesn’t let her, “We’re gonna bring you up, is that okay?”

Evan stares at her and, when prompted again, nods, “Yes ma’am,” and Sadie’s smile could light up the room,

“Such a good Sub for us.” and Evan shivers, leans into her touch until Sadie’s hand is taking most of her weight, and Sadie croons in the way that only a Dom can, Jake running his hand up and down her back.

“I bandaged up her arm… took off her jacket since it was wet. Her shirt’s damp, didn’t want to take it off though. Gave her some Tonic.” he says lowly to his partner and she gives him an approving smile that, as always, makes a proud warmth set in his chest.

“Evan?” and she opens her eyes from where she’d allowed them to drift shut, Sadie’s gloved hands cool against her skin, “Can you eat chocolate?” and the Sub nods, closing her eyes again, “Jakie, can you grab the chocolate squares from the kit please?” he’s more than happy to do so, of course, as Sadie turns back to Evan, “Darlin’, is it okay if we take your shirt off? I want to make sure you’re not hurt anywhere else, and it’s pretty wet.”

Evan nods.

“Words please, Darlin’,” The Sub squints at her,

“Yes’m,” and with that Sadie grabs the hem of her shirt and tugs it up - Jake’s relieved to see that the Sub participates this time, raising her arms as Sadie slips it off over her head, revealing a scarred, pockmarked chest and a breast band, though no active wounds that either could make out.

“Such a good Sub,” Sadie croons, reaching out and gesturing for a square of chocolate that Jake’s quick to unwrap, holding it up to Evan’s mouth as she props her back against her chest, the Sub taking it from her hand, chewing slowly before taking another with more vigor, “Jake,” she gives the Sub another, “can you grab one of my shirts?” another chocolate, “Look at you, such a good girl for us, such a good Sub,” another chocolate, “We’re going to get you into a shirt of mine now, okay?”

Evan’s eyes are much brighter as she replies “Yes’m,” though she yawns, sitting up and raising her arms for Jake to slip them through the arms, buttoning the front of the shirt with so much concentration that he stuck the tip of his tongue out and bit down on it,

“Your pants are wet, darlin’,” Sadie makes sure to keep the disapproval out of her voice; while Evan seems far more Up than she’d been, she is still well Down and doesn’t want her to make a decision based on what she thinks Sadie and Jake want, “Do you want a pair of my pant’s? Or would you rather go pantless?”—

—Sadie, after all, is very tall for a woman, even for a woman Dom, at 5’8”, and Evan, while tall for a female Sub, is still much shorter, and her shirt reaches far passed her waist.

Another chocolate popped in the Sub’s mouth.

“Pantless… pantless is okay.” she lolls her head back on Sadie’s shoulder as Jake carefully, business-like, undoes the fly of her pants and tugs them off, careful not to look as Sadie tugs her shirt down.

“Good girl,” Sadie presses a kiss to the crown of her head, “Jakie, can you get her some water please?” and he hurries to do so, throwing some extra wood on the fire as Sadie scoots back until they’re lying down, grabbing the glass and holding it to the Sub’s lips, Evan taking a sip before leaning back, Jake setting the glass down on the nightstand and waiting for the Dom to nod before crawling in and carefully laying down behind the Sub, watching as she nuzzles into the hollow of Sadie’s throat, reaching out and stroking along her side until she relaxes between them.

Sadie reaches out, allowing her arm to drape over the Sub as she sets her hand on his waist as she always does, and he does the same.

Come morning, things will be different, but for the moment all they will focus on is making sure the Sub sleeps well and wakes up refreshed.

Jake buries his face between Evan’s shoulder blades, unable to get the image of her folding in front of him out of his head; maybe, in some other context, it would have been beautiful. But she’d looked so scared, so horrified, that it’s burned into his memory.

He never wants to see her, see _anyone_ like that again.

Neither Dom nor Switch sleeps well that night.


End file.
